Liberalism Flashcards
Classical Liberalism
The state should be a ‘night watchman’
Human should obey Mill’s Harm principle as people have Locke’s natural rights
Free-market, egoistical individualism and meritocracy
Foundational equality
Fear of popular democracy
John Stuart Mill
Restrictions on liberty are justified if they follow the ‘harm principle’
Feared that a democratic state could lead to Alexis De Tocquevilles’ ‘tyranny of the majority’
“The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilised community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others”
Mary Wollstonecraft
A classical liberal feminist who believed that women were also rational beings, so were entitled to the same rights as men
The monarchical state should be replaced with a republic which enshrines women’s rights
A free-market economy would be enhanced by the involvement of talented women
Society infantilises women and limits their individualism
John Locke
Optimistically sees humans as rational and thus have ‘NATURAL RIGHTS’
There is no ‘divine right’ to rule and the state should be representative and have the consent of the people
There needs to be a social contract: political authority should become from below
Liberalism (x4 agreements)
All liberals believe that individuals have ‘NATURAL RIGHTS’ and support foundational equality
Liberals believe in a state which preserves freedom, but there are disputes as to whether this should be negative or positive freedom
Liberals support liberal democracy and Montesquieu’s ‘SEPARATION OF POWERS’ as ‘there is no liberty if the judiciary power be not separated from the legislative and executive’
People are rational and capable
Modern Liberalism
‘Positive’ and ‘effective’ freedom, so modern liberals like Rawls support an ‘enabling state’
Support Keynesian economics as it supports state intervention to increase an individual’s freedom
‘Individualism’ stops the common good from being achieved and ‘DEVELOPMENTAL INDIVIDUALISM’ is needed to help humans achieve their full potential
Alexis De Tocqueville
The tyranny of the majority
John Rawls
Humans would choose a fair society over an unequal one
The VEIL OF IGNORANCE
‘It may be expedient, but it is not just that some should have less in order that other should prosper’
An enabling state for DEVELOPMENTAL INDIVIDUALISM
Betty Friedan
Human nature has evolved in a way that is patriarchal and discriminatory and has not promoted self-advancement for women
